Thursday, September 26, 2024
05:22 GMT — US, EU, Arab states call for Lebanon 'temporary ceasefire'
The United States, European Union and several Arab nations issued a joint call for a "temporary ceasefire" in Lebanon after Israeli strikes threatened to tip the Middle East into all-out war.
"We, therefore, have worked together in recent days on a joint call for a temporary ceasefire to give diplomacy a chance to succeed and avoid further escalations across the border," US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron said in a joint statement.
"The statement we have negotiated is now endorsed by the United States, Australia, Canada, European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Qatar."
04:27 GMT — Turkish president slams Western silence on Gaza genocide
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has criticised the West for silence in the face of Israel's war on besieged Gaza, which has killed nearly 41,500 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since October 7.
"Unfortunately, many Western countries remain silent in the face of Israel, and they never took a stance against Israel," Erdogan told US-based NBC News.
"Among the NATO allies, unfortunately, there are many countries that side with Israel. We are currently in the United States right now, and the United States is actually one of them," he said.
Erdogan said US President Joe Biden criticises Israel on one hand, but provides Israel with weapons, ammunition and has dispatched an aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean in support of Tel Aviv.
03:29 GMT — Macron says Israel cannot expand its war to Lebanon 'without consequence'
The French president has said that Israel cannot expand its war to Lebanon "without consequence," urging all parties to de-escalate the situation.
"Israel cannot, without consequence, just expand its operations to Lebanon. France demands that everyone respect their obligations along the Blue Line," Emmanuel Macron said in his address to the UN General Assembly.
Macron said that France will take steps to ensure that a diplomatic voice can be heard, as it's "indispensable" for protecting civilians and preventing the conflict from spreading across the region.
3:19 GMT — Lula condemns Israeli 'genocide' against Palestinians
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has highlighted the severity of the situation in Palestine and Lebanon, and urged countries with influence on Israel to get it to end the "genocide" against Palestinians.
The Brazilian president noted that the death toll in Lebanon after Israeli attacks is the "largest number of a death toll since the civil war" that took place in that country from 1975 - 1990, as responded to a question by Anadolu on the situation in Lebanon and the possibility of an arms embargo on Israel as a result of its actions in the region.
Noting that women and children are among civilian casualties in Lebanon, da Silva stated that approximately 10,000 people have also been displaced
02:33 GMT — Italy, Belgium urge nationals to leave Lebanon
Italy and Belgium have advised their nationals in Lebanon to leave the country amid escalating security concerns in the region.
Speaking at the European People's Party (EPP) meeting in Naples, Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said: "We have always advised Italians working in Lebanon to leave as soon as possible. There are still flights from Beirut to the West, so we recommend they leave now."
He noted that about 300 Italians are in Lebanon for work, while 3,000 are dual nationals.
02:00 GMT — Egypt urges its nationals to avoid travel to Lebanon amid rising tensions
Egypt advised its nationals to avoid traveling to Lebanon, citing Israeli military strikes.
"Given the rapidly evolving situation in Lebanon and the intensifying military operations along the Israeli-Lebanese border, we urge Egyptians to avoid traveling to Lebanon unless absolutely necessary," according to a Foreign Ministry statement.
It urged nationals in Lebanon to exercise caution, avoid conflict zones, follow instructions by Lebanese authorities and stay in contact with the Egyptian Embassy in Beirut.
For our live updates from Wednesday, September 25, 2024, click here.
